BKS1 Radio Network

Tonight the Live In the Cipher Team pays tribute to Big L. 13 years ago today the hip hop world lost a legendary MC who was taken from us way to early. Big L known for his word play and delivery was tragically gunned down on February 15, 1999, shot 9 times in the face and chest.

Big L gave us countless underground hits and commercial hits. From Put it on, M.V.P, Da Graveyard to Ebonics.  L was well known around the game and ready to take it to another level. Unfortunately for his fans and fans of hip hop he was taken from us before we were able to witness his full potential.

So tonight you will hear some of his well known songs along with some freestyles that L released during his time.  Join us in paying tribute to one of the best to do it while he was around.

The Team along with you will review Up and Coming MC Kaydensz tonight on the Live In The Cipher Show. Here is what Kaydensz has to say about himself. Taken from Kaydensz site:

What is music? To some, it is simply just a way to gain fame and fortune. To others, it is an entertainment outlet that you can utilize with the simple press of a button. To Kaydensz, however, music is much more. Born Chance McIntosh in Newark (Da Bricks) and raised in East Orange (Illtown), he was brought into a world full of confusion and anguish. Growing up, Chance was a very good student, consistently receiving high grades throughout his youth. Although his mother worked very hard to provide a good life for him, his environment as well as the relationship with his father, caused him to be quick-tempered and confrontational.

His love for music started to surface when he was 11, when he began turning his unfocused energy into poetry. When he was 14 however, his uphill progress suddenly took a turn for the worse when his father suddenly passed away after years of alcohol and drug addiction. That equipped with the pressures of dealing with a new environment (he attended boarding school), caused Chance to fall into a deep depression and also caused his intrinsic personality. Feeling like no one understood him, he began writing poetry again to release his pain. Influenced by the likes of Jay-Z, Eminem, Nas, as well as his oldest brother Ali Armz, Chance started writing raps when he was 15, initially as a means of fun for him and his friends. Chance kept writing, and his skills drastically improved, but it wasn’t until tragedy struck again that Chance fully connected with his music and everything became real. His uncle, who stepped in as a father figure after Chance’s father had died, passed away after a severe battle with cancer.

This devastated Chance, and not only caused him to fall into an even deeper depression but also plunged him to an alcohol and prescription pill binge. Some good did come from this, however, because during this time Chance began writing very introspective and intrinsic lyrics. By writing about his individual pains and personal pressures, he was able to realize that his story was not unique, and that it was his responsibility to tell not only his but the stories of others as well to the world, whether it be good or bad. After cleaning himself up, Chance set his goal on being the best and began writing even more profusely in order to master his craft. Soon after, Kaydensz Tha Savage was born. Kaydensz brings honesty, reality, diversity and respect to the game, with his style emphasizing wit, flow, cleverness, poetic structure, and wordplay. Producer/DJ Ja-Hi noticed his grind and talent and the two began making music together. With his help, Kaydensz will be releasing his first piece of work entitled The Twisted Soul EP, which released March 1st 2011!!!!!!!

So you ask, what is music to Kaydensz? It is a way to show the world the painting him and his peers call reality. Music is life.

Live In The Cipher brings you another up and coming MC from NYC. Join us as we introduce you to Fokis as we rate and review his latest release A Vintage State of Mind. Here is more about Fokis in his own words from www.fokeezy.com.

Fokis Bio:

An innovative force, Fokis continues to forge his path towards success through the frontier of a technologically advanced world.  Born William Heredia to Dominican parents, Fokis was raised on New York City’s Lower East Side of Manhattan.  It was during these formative years that Fokis developed a love for music and a work ethic that placed him amongst hip hop’s hardest working entrepreneurs. Fokis began rhyming at an early age and later began to produce beats of his own.  Seeking to enhance his career, Fokis pursued formal training as a recording engineer later opening his own recording studio Krystal Clear Recordings.  There, Fokis has recorded and mixed records for many artists including Kool G Rap, Trife Diesel, Mic Geranimo, Bubba Sparxx and Rahsaan Patterson.

His passion and commitment to success literally placed him on the “Road to the Riches.”  Early in his career, Fokis developed and produced an online reality show based on his own experience as an independent hip hop artist seeking to secure a record deal within a year’s time.  Consistent with reality, the “Road to the Riches” did not result in Fokis signing a record deal.  Not deterred, Fokis went on to release several albums collaborating with various established artists such as Joe Budden, Olu Dara (Nas' father), Deemi, Joell Ortiz and various producers such as Focus...(Aftermath Ent.) Charlemagne and Dahoud Darien.  Through his persistence, Fokis independently distributed over twenty thousand compact discs and digital downloads combined.  Projects like the “20/20” EP exclusively produced by Focus of Aftermath and “The Appetizer” LP with Punchline of eMC were well received by his fans.

Fokis has toured the United States, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic and performed as an opening act for Common, Busta Rhymes, M.O.P. the Beatnuts and many more.  Through his experiences, Fokis has developed a relevant broad appealing style and sound that remains true to the core foundational elements of Hip Hop with a commercial appeal.  Though achieving success distributing his own music, Fokis realized in this era it would take more than pursuing a career as a recording artist to rise to the level of success he sought to achieve.  As his experience with the business side of the industry grew, Fokis seized upon the marketing facet of the industry and opened his digital media company Loyalty Digital Corp.  Through Loyalty Digital Corp, Fokis has worked with various artists to develop, record and mix musical compositions and successfully market them online.  In no time Fokis managed to develop a strong and diverse client base for Loyalty Digital Corp. 

Working with that network, Loyalty Digital Corp. successfully produced and released two installations of “A Walk Through MySpace,” a musical collaborative effort of worldwide independent artists banding together to create a stronger market for their careers.  Loyalty Digital’s success with its marketing campaigns resulted in multi platinum producer Ty Fyffe reaching out and together they developed an online competition called “Raw N Uncut” which enlisted hundreds of entrants.    Fokis and Loyalty Digital’s many achievements have been recognized by not only many established industry members but also featured on various industry websites such as HipHopDX, NahRight, 2DopeBoyz, DubCNN and HipHopGame.  In his own words Fokis states that he is “a dreamer, a visionary, and a grinder with a capital G.”

MC's call in 646-233-1302 and spit your hot 16, let the hip hop world hear your skills! Follow us on twitter: @LiveInTheCipher and like our facebook fan page: Live In The Cipher Show

Live In The Cipher team brings you a collaboration from NYC MC Punchline and DJ Soulclap from Germany. Release titled Underground Superstar. With a powerful title Underground Superstar, lets see if this dynamic duo can deliver the kind of hip hop that the airwaves has been missing.

MC Punchline

Punchline molded by the streets of NYC Lower East Side, Punchline has been in the hip hop game for a while and has traveled all over the globe. His talents has lead to him performing in London, Germany, and all over the United States. Having written for various artists, Punchline has shown that he is a talented artist from working on a children's cartoon called Kids Block, in association with the Trackmasters & Steve Rifkin, has Co-wrote and appeared on MTV's The Lyricist Lounge Show, was featured on A Tribe Called Quest last group album The Love  Movement, to name a few of his accolades.

Also a member of super group called E.M.C. that consist of himself, Masta Ace, Wordsworth, and the album is called "The Show"
Read more about Punchline and his group EMC: Here

DJ Soulclap

“This is how we take the old to the new!“ This quote from an old Nice & Smooth song is what best describes DJ SoulClap’s production. Born in Braunschweig, Germany and embedded in the Hip Hop culture since the late 90’s he has been making his way from creating mixtapes for his friends to producing songs for the whole world to hear. SoulClap started DJ’ing in 2001. When he saw Masta Ace and Edo.G on stage in 2004, he decided to dive deeper into the music. “I had a good friend who had been making music for years with his group called Soultecniques. He showed me how to make beats with Cool Edit and Fruity Loops, I’m still sticking to these programs till today.”

DJ SoulClap made his first international contacts on mastaace.com. His first productions were songs for B.L.O from the Bronx and Lex from Queens. With the time passing by he made a lot of contacts on myspace and released his first Promo EP in the end of 2007. It featured artists such as Superstar Quamallah, Tony Tigerstyle, Brown Co., Bru Lei, Stranger Day and Shaoo Zulu. After getting a lot of good feedback from all around the world he quickly put out the follower, which was a remix of Jay-Z’s American Gangster album. He remixed the whole album on one weekend to be one of the first to put it out, followed by more than 100 other producers who also remixed it. It was featured on blogs and websites all over the internet and two of the tracks got honored by being featured on each of Kevin Nottingham’s “American Gangster: Best of the Remixes” albums on kevinnottingham.com.

Read more DJ Soulclap bio at www.djsoulclaphiphop.com

Live Performance by Candice, @sheishiphop & 1stWonder of F02 check out the video and subscribe:

Statik Selektah and Termanology join together to form the group titled 1982. Together they bring the hip hop world another project titled 2012.  Join the live in the cipher team as we rate and review this project from this talented duo.  2012 will mark the 3rd collaborative effort from Statik Selektah and Termanology, each of the previous efforts receiving acclaim from true hip hop heads. Lets see if they can continue to deliver the quality sounds that they are known to bring.

Read more about Statik Selektah at www.showoffhiphop.com and Termanology at http://termanology.ning.com/

MC's call 646-233-1302 and spit your hot 16. Follow us on twitter: @liveinthecipher and like our facebook fan page: Live In The Cipher Show

It is rare to find an artist who has both age and wisdom on his side. At just 24 years-old, Big K.R.I.T. possesses the musical intuition of an old soul. Hailing from Meridian, Mississippi, K.R.I.T. (born Justin Scott) grew up listening to early rhythm and blues records in his Grandmother’s house and later went on to discover songs by revered soul artists like Curtis Mayfield, Willie Hutch and Bobby Womack. It’s easy to detect these artists and rap legends who have influenced the young MC like 8Ball & MJG, UGK, Scarface and OutKast in K.R.I.T.’s own music which masterfully resurrects the rich heritage of Southern hip-hop in the 1990’s.

“I’m reintroducing a type of sound from the South that a lot of the newer generation doesn’t know about and reminding the older generation of what Southern hip-hop used to sound like,” explains K.R.I.T., whose stage name is an acronym for King Remembered In Time. “I was influenced by the third coast as far as Texas, Tennessee, and Atlanta so I was really trying to put all those sounds that I grew up listening to together to make a sound for myself.”

Read More About Big K.R.I.T here: www.islanddefjam.com/artist/bio

MC's call 646-233-1302 spit your hot 16. Like our Facebook Fan page: Live In The Cipher and follow us on twitter: @liveinthecipher

Special Guest: Founder/Editor In Chief Egypt Audrey-Blanc

Egypt is no novice to the entertainment industry.  Early in her career she was signed to A&M Records as a rap artist, writer, composer and arranger. She is known and respected throughout the industry as a gifted lyricist with a work ethic that is contagious. She’s worked with some of the world’s most prolific talents.  Her work history, stage performances and collaborations looks something like this, Jay-Z, Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown, Wyclef jean, Faith Evans, Monica, Usher, The Wu Tang Clan, Naughty by Nature, Aaron Neville, DMC of RUN DMC and the list goes on and is still growing.

Egypt is the “Editor in Chief” of the newly acclaimed, Internet, software and paper back publication, “The Movement Magazine.”  She’s also the President of “Etched in Stone Publications.”  A publication firm that is designed to launch the careers of up and coming inspiring authors, offering them distribution and network opportunities, log onto www.etchedinstonepublications.com.

“The Movement Magazine” is not just news, it’s an experience.  Egypt is the founder and visionary behind this fast growing national media outlet.  Her vision is to present information and stories that will inspire, encourage, heal, and enlighten the consciousness of its reader.  “The Movement Magazine” was launched with a mission to fill the void of substance, illuminate the mind of society. Egypt feels passionate about giving her audience more than JUST another celebrity story.” The Movement Magazine” will give you life changing information, thought provoking ideas that will empower its audience to make better life decisions, getting its readers on The MOVE to a greater destiny.
“The Movement Magazine” has a web page www.themovementmagazine.net, a face book and Twitter page, YouTube and a DVD attached to the printed version to meet the reading and visual  preference of its national audience.  Egypt has established key relationships throughout the media print world as well as television.  “The Movement Magazine” will be launching a television production company “Movement Television Networks.” Movement Television Networks, produces, edits and distributes the Internet version of the magazine, along with the DVD attachment for paperback.

“The Movement Magazine and Movement Television Networks” will be featured at the 2012 BET award show and red carpet, Black Girls Rock, (A nationally televised show) and Circle of Sisters (a women’s expo) held at New York’s Javit Center. “The Movement Magazine” has already interviewed A list celebrities such Puffy aka Shawn Combs (of Bad Boy Entertainment), Kelly Roland (formally of Destiny’s Child), Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Houston (formally of the New York Knicks), Dr. Cornell West, Mayor Corey Booker (Newark, NJ), Christopher Williams, (National R&B recording artist) Genuine, Foxy Brown, Wacka Flocka, T.I. & Tiny, authors, activist, entrepreneurs and everyday people who desire to share an inspiring story that could save a life…..“The Movement Magazine” It’s Not Just Literature!

Egypt is a passionate soul.  Her spirit is contagious. She will inspire you; drive you to the greatest part of yourself.  She’s giving, caring thoughtful and transparent.

She is the “editor and chief of the new acclaimed, Internet, software and paper back magazine "The MOVEMENT Magazine"

Special Musical Guest:Rhymageddon

Rhymageddon is the voice shaking up the entire Hip-Hop world one listerner at a time. Fans from the Netherlands to Japan right back to his home state of New Jersey are largely to thank for his 40,000 + song listens and downloads via Rhymageddon.com DJs are beggining to recognize Rhyamgeddon’s use incisive lyrics to penetrate the minds of true Hip-Hop fans everywhere. For example Real Rap he said “I’m from a land where they lynched men just for whistling” and the 2nd verse where he rhymes from the perspective of a mourner at hip-hop’s funeral; while sitting next to DJ Kool Herc at that!! Judging by the comments left on iTunes, it could be Rhymageddon’s matter of fact honestly as heard on All My Friends (recently cracked 3000 views) that proves his humbleness and team player approach to creating change with his music. On “Illest Bars” he proves beyond the shadow of a doubt he’s grown tired of rappers who only rhyme about the materialistic world. Bottom line is Rhymageddon’s approach to emceeing makes both trap rappers and conscious rappers equally nervous of their skill set.

Rhymageddon began penning rhymes while attending Myrtle Ave Jr.high in Irvington, NJ but found it difficult to truly develop because his Nigerian father denounced Rap music in the household. Struggle and passion for what he believed in started there. Rhymageddon was forced to secretly record pioneering Hip Hop radio D.J.’s such as Red Alert and Mr. Magic while his parents slept. The genre should be proud of the way he observed and respected the art form from afar until he went onto college. It was while at Morgan State University that Rhym aka the Spit Sergeant finally gained the time and freedom to hone his talents and merciless vocabulary at open mic sessions, street corner ciphers, talents shows and college radiostations. In 1994, Rhym recorded his first demo and subsequently returned to N.J. to sharpen his sword even further. Bear witness to Rhymageddon, "The sultan of insulting blocks of mental munchkins” a line from his street banger “Rip a MuhFuckah Night." off of his 2009 solo EP "HORSEPOWER PLUS HANDLING" available now on Rhymageddon.Bandcamp.com. The success of his debut EP independent project led to numerous #SpitSergeantShows all over NJ, NY and PA.  The next step was branching out to the MidWest and the West coast with his new project (M.A.S.H.) May Actually Save Hip-Hop  produced entirely by DJ Ment Plus (AkaiPros & BoomSkwad) and DivineDrummah from Trenton NJ. This project continues to be heavily spun on internet radio shows and throughout the blogsophere. Rhymageddon felt that workign on a solo EP seemed selfish, so while recording and mixing his own sessions he reached out to fellow NJ artists to work on the full-legnth project "Sergeant of Spit". SOS is filled with cameos galore from the #NJHipHop family again showcasing his collaborative ability along with desire to put on upcoming Jersey artists on the map.

Rhymageddon continues to push the envelop of lyricism and headnod music with the digital release of "SuckaClip" produced by Edobeci. On it, the Sergeant of Spit takes aim at the bloggers who claim to support good music that rarely sees the light of day. The hook purposely pokes fun at those who revert back to the trivial music already popular on the radio to achieve higher viewership of their prospective blogs. "The Rap Games crazy and it trendy to rhyme like you were dropped onyour head as a baby" The video, shot by LifeIronic focuses on the grittier side of Rhym's music and his brooding presence that can be caught at his live shows.

Special Musical Guest: B-Naz

B-Naz 3G is quickly making a name for himself in the world of Hip Hop. The breakout artist has rolled out one of the biggest hit records of the year with his crew sizzling single, “I Will Never Stop.” The song is a critical success and it is receiving a great amount of attention from notable mixshows and websites such as Yo Raps.com.

“I Will Never Stop” explodes with unadulterated candor. The track features him and his crews trademark lyrical dexterity and riveting street flair. “The song ‘I Will Never Stop’ is a revealing record. It’s head nodding Hip-hop at it’s best,” raves Urban Buzz Factor.com.

The stellar production on ‘I Will Never Stop’ coupled with his poignant cadence, delivery and flow results into a dynamic song that is sure to be a nationwide hit” according to Respect The Grind.Net.

Equally important, B-Naz recently shot an exciting music video for the song that features a catchy dance. The music video is fun, exhilarating and edited with perfection.

B-Naz and his crews lyrical and whimsical tales about life growing up in Jersey City, 3G have built a national following via the Internet. B-Naz is currently in the studio recording songs for his upcoming debut album, which will be released in the 4th quarter of 2011. “My LP is going to be bananas! Expect a lot of diversity. Our tracks are so different from each other. We got joints for the streets, the ladies and the clubs”, proclaims B-Naz.

B-Naz music inspirations include Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Lloyd Banks, Notorious B.I.G, Fabolous, Tupac, Jadakiss and Joe Budden. Their production is handled by Charles Roberson and Jeffery Moore.The rapper describes his music as authentic Hip Hop. He put his heart and soul into his music. "My Fans respect the fact that I'm raw and authentic. I want them to feel the power of my movement”.

B-Naz is a true entertainer in every sense of the word! He's exploding on the underground rap scene and have developed a solid fan base in their hometown of NJ. Moreover, he has performed at various venues throughout NJ and NYC. His performances are filled with lots of energy.

“My movement is crazy, because my work ethic is incredible. While you’re sleeping, i'm working and churning out hit songs,” proclaims B-Naz.

“I want to be a legendary Artist. Follow me through my trials and tribulations as I embark on my journey to greatness. I do this for the love of the music, the culture and my fans,” according to B-Naz. Support quality Hip Hop! Support 3G! And be sure to catch me performing live in upcoming shows in such cities as NYC, Atlanta and LA.  For booking and Press email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Artist Review: Demigodz

The Demigodz are an underground hip-hop supergroup based out of Connecticut, Boston, NYC, and L.A. Membership is somewhat nebulous and has changed several times throughout the years.

Current Members:
Apathy, Celph Titled, Esoteric, Blacastan, Motive, and Ryu.

Past Members:
Louis Logic, Open Mic, Rise, El-Fudge, Spin 4th, Tak, and One Two.

DJ’s:
Chum the Skrilla Guerilla, Cheapshot and 7L.

History:

Originally founded in 1990 by two Connecticut teens; Reflex and Open Mic (known then as Jedi). Calling themselves “The Nobility,” they were heavily influenced by the progressive hip-hop of the time, including Public Enemy and the Native Tongues Posse. The duo recorded countless demos in Reflex’s garage with the song lyrics focusing on science fiction and conspiracy theories.

In an attempt to be heard they hooked up with University of Connecticut radio DJ Cool C to showcase their songs over the local college airwaves. The buzz being created by the airtime resulted in numerous battles with local MCs which also increased the recognition of the increasingly-popular teens. It was also during this time that Open Mic renamed the group “The Demigodz,” taking inspiration from one of his own verses.

During their high school years the group expanded with the additions of New London County lyricists; Feedback & De Ja Vu who were involved in the recording of the Demigodz: Coming Like A Storm To Your City demo. One day when the tape was playing on UConn’s 97.1 radio station it caught the ears of a young aspiring rapper named Apathy.

During the early nineties the Demigodz were taking countless trips to New York City, and were slowly but surely breaking into the industry. Shopping their demo around town and spitting in ciphers on Harlem’s 125th St., they began to get connections including Force Five (famous for their roles in the “House Party” movies) who taught them the ropes of the production scene by allowing them to sit in on their recording sessions.

In late 1994 the group split in half due to musical differences. Reflex and Feedback left the group and formed Skin N Bones (also known as French Connection), while Open Mic and De Ja Vu scouted for new talent to fill the void left by the former members. Through a friend of former Demigodz MC Feedback, Open Mic was introduced to Apathy (at the time known as Apathy The Alien Tongue), who he immediately brought in as a member. With his superior lyrical abilities Apathy soon became the group’s most prominent member and formed a strong friendship with Open Mic. Not long after Apathy joined up De Ja Vu dropped out.

During the summer of 1995 the duo joined the New England chapter of the Zulu Nation but soon left and became affiliated with the New York based Alien Nation instead. Using their connections in the Alien Nation the group added MCs Eternia and Naptron the Meta Predator to the Demigodz roster. With new production equipment purchased by Open Mic the group put out a new demo which circulated around the underground and created a buzz on the independent hip-hop scene.

Read more Demigodz bio: www.last.fm/music/The+Demigodz